Tunisia raises petrol prices to trim budget gap

TUNIS, Sept 2 Tunisia, which has forecast a
budget deficit of 6.6 percent of GDP this year, is cutting fuel
subsidies and raising the price of petrol by 7.2 percent.

The government on Sunday lifted the price of lead-free
petrol to 1.470 Tunisian dinars per litre ($0.93) from 1.370
dinars. The last increase, from 1.320 dinars, was announced in
December 2010.

The government sets the price of domestic fuel products, in
part through a subsidy which this year will be capped at 1.3
billion dinars compared with 1.5 billion in 2011.

Tunisia's central bank raised its key interest rate by 25
basis points to 3.75 per cent on Wednesday to fight rising
inflation in the economy, which is gradually recovering from
last year's political turmoil which toppled President Zine
al-Abidine Ben Ali and triggered the Arab Spring uprisings.
(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by David Cowell)

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 The U.S. Senate was preparing
to pass a government spending bill on Friday evening after
Democrats from coal states announced they would not risk a
government shutdown by continuing to delay the vote.

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